Design Thinking Could Be a Game Changer for Students
Once in a while, I hear something that stops me in my tracks. I recognize I’ve just heard a life-changing idea. One of them surfaced this year. During a recent Twitter chat I participated in, one of the educator participants asked a question: “Have you heard of design thinking?” The fact is, I had read…
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Seven Ways to Prevent Athletes From a De-Commit or Transfer
I know a high school senior who was recruited to play volleyball at a NCAA Division One School. Emily told me the coaches “courted” her for months until she finally committed to play there. And then, when she actually showed up to play, things were different. After a week of volleyball camp, Emily “de-committed.” It’s…
Continue ReadingHow to Enjoy Watching Your Teens Play Sports
I recently saw this sign (below) hanging near a youth sports field, just north of Atlanta, where I live. It made me smile and it had several people snapping photos of it prior to game time. Everyone was smirking, smiling or chuckling. The sign says so much about the adults who watch those games. When…
Continue ReadingFive Ways to Manage Disrespect from Students Today
During the 2017-2018 school year, more educators asked me for ideas about managing disrespectful students than any year in my memory. One teacher told me a student in her class was slouching and drifting off to sleep. She walked over to him and requested he sit up straight and pay attention. This 17-year-old high schooler…
Continue ReadingA Letter to My Kids’ Teachers at Midterms
The fall semester is halfway done, and students are entering midterm exams. Ahhh—there’s nothing like the fall, with high pressure fronts coming in with colder weather, in addition to high pressure expectations among our students. I also believe this time of year is a perfect period to evaluate our leadership. Teachers and parents have experienced…
Continue ReadingThree Trends on the Rise as Generation Z Grows Up
Today, tech innovations are being introduced faster than I can keep up. Did you know that a flying car may be unveiled at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo? Yes, I just said that. A rider in this flying car plans to light the torch at the beginning of the games. Toyota is funding a…
Continue ReadingLet’s Make Common Sense Common Again
Sometimes, I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry when I read some news stories today. Our world is more educated, more sophisticated, more modernized and more industrialized than ever before—but in our race to make progress, we often leave one important quality behind: common sense. Webster defines common sense as: “the ability to think…
Continue ReadingThe Nobility of Working with Students
I recently led a workshop for administrators at a university. Attendees were college deans, vice presidents, heads of schools and high school principals. When I placed them in small discussion groups and posed the question, “What changes do you plan to make this year?” I overheard one administrator say to his colleagues: “I’m just biding…
Continue ReadingOne Cause of Entitled and Fragile Adults
A news story broke recently that made its away across the country. At first glance, I couldn’t believe it. My guess is—many of you heard about it. A Florida teacher was fired for refusing to comply with the school’s “No Zero” policy. This means, the school administration has created a rule that even if a…
Continue ReadingThe Important Division Between Fault and Responsibility
My mom and dad told me over the years that I was a funny little kid, when I was very young. Whenever anything went wrong in our home—a spilled drink at the kitchen table, a lost item from a room, a torn sock, you name it—I apologized for it. Even if it clearly wasn’t my…
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